


nod my heart

by QLaLa



Category: The Flash (TV 2014), The Flash - All Media Types
Genre: F/M, Minor Spoilers Through S3 of The Flash, Spoilers Through S1 of Legends of Tomorrow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-10
Updated: 2017-08-10
Packaged: 2018-12-13 10:33:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11758017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QLaLa/pseuds/QLaLa
Summary: The cadence was strange, slow and uncertain like someone stopped to reconsider between each knock. Lisa knew, without being able to say why, that bad news was waiting on the other side of the door.





	nod my heart

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for the tumblr prompt: "It's okay to cry."

_I don't know what the plan is  
But you can share it with me_

*

The knock at the door brought all conversation in the room to an abrupt halt. Mardon drew a gun from somewhere, and Bivolo seemed to be counting the people in the room on his fingers, double-checking their ranks for a missing face. Shawna stared warily at the door, her mouth still open where she’d been halfway through lobbing another insult across the table at Hartley. Hartley threw a chip at her, and Shawna snapped her mouth shut with a glare. 

Lisa reigned in her frayed patience. Then she snapped her fingers, and held her hand out towards Mardon. A flicker of mutiny passed over his face, but he handed it over with nothing more than a scowl. 

Lisa crept to the door, gun held ready at her side. Another knock sounded before she reached it, and something about the sound made her hesitate. The cadence was strange, slow and uncertain like someone was stopping to reconsider between each rap. She knew, without being able to say why, that bad news was waiting on the other side of the door. 

It was only the weight of the others’ gaze on her back that pushed her forward to look through the peephole. When she saw the dark sweep of curls, though, and the warm brown eyes magnified by the fish-eyed lens, she was surprised enough that she pulled the door open without thinking. 

“Cisco?” she asked.

Cisco didn’t answer her immediately. For a moment, the anxious expression she’d seen through the viewer slipped away; instead he gazed at her, soft and searching, as if he hadn’t been quite prepared for her to answer the door. 

But it was possible she was just projecting. He looked as well as he ever did, bright-eyed despite the same perpetual weight pulling at his shoulders, and the cold outside had brought a flush of color to his cheeks. A few melting snowflakes lingered in his hair; Lisa had to check the urge to brush them away. 

She’d seen him barely a week ago, during another meta situation at the Central City Credit Union. She’d pretended not to be helping Team Flash, and they’d pretended not to see her empty a few safety deposit boxes on the way out; it was a handy arrangement all around. Despite the short time frame, though, she’d managed to miss him. She looked him over now, checking automatically for injuries, and her brow drew together in confusion when she saw what he was holding. He had the strange glasses he wore as Vibe folded in one hand, and in the other, he was carrying the spare motorcycle helmet she’d thought she’d lost months ago. 

Then Cisco blinked, and he looked away from her, mouth tight. He stepped past her into the apartment before she could think to stop him, apparently undeterred by the loaded gun she still held at her side. 

“I'm sorry, Lisa, but we need to t — ” 

He broke off, and Lisa knew that he’d finally looked up and noticed their company. She sighed, clicked the safety back on the gun, and tucked it into the back of her jeans as she turned. 

“Is this a meeting?” Cisco asked. And then, registering the way everyone was looking to Lisa instead of answering, he spun back around. “Do you  _ run _ the Rogues now?”

Lisa crossed her arms. 

“Somebody has to,” she said. “Lenny’s still busy playing Marty McFly in the timestream, and he took his second-in-command with him.” 

For some reason, Cisco’s gaze jumped back to her at that. There was something chilling in his expression, a sort of sick dread that didn't seem to have anything to do with the criminals gathered behind him. 

“Get out,” Lisa said. 

No one moved, and Lisa whirled on the assembled Rogues with a vicious glare. 

“Do you  _ think  _ I was talking to him?” she demanded. “I said, get out!”

The lot of them scrambled to their feet, grabbing coats and knocking over chairs in their haste to get to the door. Hartley stopped long enough to wink at Cisco as he brushed past, though, and Lisa made a mental note to dock his cut on their next heist. 

Once the door shut behind them, Cisco put her spare helmet on the table amidst the abandoned blueprints and tepid beers. Then he turned back to her, expression grim.

“Cold — ” He took a hard breath, and started again. “Your brother — ”

“What did Lenny do this time?” Lisa asked. Her voice wasn't steady, but it didn't quite crack. Cisco stepped closer, looked down at his hands, then up again. 

“He sacrificed himself,” Cisco said, his voice hushed. “For all of us. He  _ saved _ all of us. But, the Oculus, he...”

It wasn't until he broke off with a concerned frown that Lisa realized she was shaking her head. 

“That idiot,” she said, and she reached past Cisco to grab the duffel bag off the middle of the table. He stepped aside hastily as she dumped it out, sending lockpicking tools and various electronics scattering across the table, along with a few water bottles and a blonde wig. She righted the bag, tossed the water bottles back inside, and strode off for the heavy wooden chest underneath the far window.

“Lisa?”

She ignored him, flinging pieces of various disguises out of the chest until she located the box that she was looking for underneath them. She fanned her fingers over the lid, and waited. 

“Lisa…”

The biometric lock chirped, and the case sprang open. Lisa pulled out the gold gun, inspected it briefly, then shoved it into the bag. 

“Okay, let’s not do anything rash,” Cisco said. “I know this sucks, alright? Like, I  _ really _ know. That’s why I’m here. To talk. Or listen. Or just… sit here, if that’s what you want.” There was a pause, and then he added, a little uncertainly, “It’s okay to cry, you know.”

Lisa threw him an incredulous look over her shoulder. 

“Why would I cry?”

Cisco blinked.

“He was your brother?” Cisco said. “‘The only jerk brother you’ve got, remember?” 

The past-tense slashed at something in Lisa’s chest, and she turned away with a practiced flick of her hair to start shoving the last of the spare cartridges into her bag again. 

“He  _ is _ the only jerk brother I’ve got,” she snapped. She pulled the zipper across the bag so roughly it nearly tore free of its teeth, then hauled it over her shoulder. “That’s why we’re going to get him.”

“To — to get him?” Cisco repeated.  _ “We?” _

“You, me, and as many speedsters as you have on speed-dial,” Lisa said. Then she paused, realizing what she’d just said, and was surprised to find a grin pulling at the corner of her mouth without her permission. Cisco cracked a smile, too.

“Speed-dial,” he said. “Because, speedsters. Ha.”

Lisa got control of the smile, and shot Cisco a glare without heat.

“Just call Barry,” she said. 

Cisco nodded and started to say something, then snapped his mouth shut and threw her a look of wide-eyed surprise. He covered it badly, and floundered for a couple moments before giving up and pointing an accusing finger at her. 

“When — ? How — ?”

Lisa raised a delicate eyebrow.

“Just thought it would be helpful to have a badge with us,” she said slowly. Cisco blinked, then snatched back his hand. 

“Of course,” he said. “A badge. Because that’s the job, that Barry has.” 

Lisa held the innocent expression for a moment longer, then let her lips curl into a practiced feline smirk.

“We’re also gonna need that little time travel trick of his,” she said. 

CIsco’s finger flew back at her in a ridiculous  _ j’accuse _ gesture. 

“I knew it!” he said. “I  _ knew _ that Cold told you!”

“Lenny hasn’t told me anything,” Lisa said. The present tense grounded her, made it easier to ignore the frantic claws of grief that were seeking purchase on the inside of her ribcage. “You don’t have that many friends, Cisco. And only one of them is six-foot-two and all bambi-eyed.”

Cisco looked ready to deny it for a moment, but the amusement slipped away from his expression, and he shook his head.

“Lisa,” he said, slowly, choosing his words with obvious care. “We can't mess with the timeline like that. It can make things worse, Lisa, so much worse. Dante…”

He trailed off, and Lisa saw him cut his gaze away, jaw tight against the old pain. 

“Cisco,” she said, and the pain in her chest finally stopped her momentum. She slipped the bag off her shoulder and crossed the room to him. She put her hand on his arm; he tensed for a moment, like he was going to pull away, but didn't. 

She didn't know what to say; “it's not the same” felt hard, even a little cruel. Then again, no one had ever accused her of being soft. 

“This isn't the same,” she said. “Lenny didn't belong in that timeline. We can bring him back.” 

She didn't like the question that had begun creeping into her voice. When Cisco still looked uncertain, she slipped her hand down to cover his own.

“I can't lose him,” she said. "I can't." 

Her voice cracked on the last word, and she cursed herself silently for the weakness. Cisco finally looked at her again, though.. She was wearing heels, and he had to look up to make eye contact. Lisa felt fresh wave of affection toward him, which did nothing to help the tears stinging at her eyes. 

Cisco opened and shut his mouth a couple times, then gave a loud, exasperated groan. Lisa let the corner of her lips curl into a victorious smirk. 

“You're lucky I love you,” Cisco grumbled, and turned to pick his glasses up from the table. 

They both froze at the same time; Lisa's lips parted in surprise, and the back of Cisco’s neck flamed. 

“You didn’t hear that,” Cisco said, whipping back around. 

His eyes were comically wide, the expression in them outright panicked. Lisa stepped closer, moving fully into his space, and trailed a hand up the sleeve of his worn hoodie. It was nearly enough to make her smile; he'd dressed as non-threatening as she'd ever seen him, all muted colors and soft materials. Like he really had expected her to need a shoulder to cry on.

“I heard you just fine,” she said. 

She brushed a hand up the side of his neck, savoring the warmth of his skin and the quick rhythm of his heartbeat under her palm. Then she leaned in, and stopped with their mouths half an inch apart. There was no stirring of air across her lips; Cisco was holding his breath. She waited another moment, then smirked.

“Call your speedsters, Cisco,” she said. “We’ll talk about the rest once my brother is here to threaten you in person.”

Cisco huffed indignantly, but Lisa felt the smile curving across his lips when she tipped his jaw up and kissed him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Anyway you know Lisa Snart is gonna personally punch a time wraith in the face to get her brother back. That's just facts. 
> 
> Comments are appreciated!!


End file.
